As many of you get ready for recruitment (thanks to the OSU mom who messaged me to tell me THEY are actually first starting with Move-in on August 4th and First round parties on August 5th), there’s something I want you to think about and remember…..no matter where you are or what you have on you are always wearing your letters. Let me explain.

So you want to join a sorority..I know that any sorority would love to have you. You’re the type of person a sorority looks for…..committed…. enthusiastic…..a leader. I know that you will do great things for your sorority and hopefully joining a sorority open some doors for you. You will make life long friendships and hopefully you’ll be the type of person whose positive impact will be felt for many years.

This is the beginning of something very cool!!! I know that each of you have your reasons for wanting to join. I also know that once you do join the reasons you stay will be entirely different. Girls tend to join sororities for the image, the props and the social stuff. They stay for the friendships, the connections they make and they find a place where they can impact the lives of others.

A sorority is a family. Members already know this but once you pledge you will too. soon the letters you seen on members pins, shirts and houses will be yours. But there is something I want to tell you before you sign your bid card,pay your first bill, get your first shirt or go to your first swap. What I am going to share with you is very important. It’s something I will ask you to do. The survival of your sorority on your campus and nation wide depends on this one simple lesson and you taking it to heart. What I am going to share is more important than your sorority’s history, traditions, structure and rules.

If you don’t understand what I am going to tell you then none of the other stuff will matter. If you don’t understand this one golden rule of “sorority” then your daughter won’t have a sorority to join one day and your sorority time will be but a fuzzy memory.

So are you ready? Here goes…”From the moment you accept that bid, you are always wearing your letters.” I am not talking about those on shirts, sweatshirts, hats, sweat pants, or shorts that are the colors of your house. I am not talking about a tattoo on your ankle, a party favor or the badge you wear on your dress or shirt.

What I mean is that when you say “yes” to a lifetime membership in a sorority…

Everything you say, everything you do, everything you represent, from that moment forward is a direct reflection of your sorority, your sisters and thousands of members who have come before you. Everything you put out into this world is a direct reflection of your sorority. Every decision, every mistake, every achievement you make….happens to all of your sisters. Every trip to the grocery store..you represent your sisters. If you fall asleep in class, get a bad grade from not studying or trying your best…you represent your sorority. when you drive down the road and slow for a pedestrian ..you represent your sorority. When you become a leader of another campus organization…you represent your sorority. When you talk badly about another sorority…you represent your sorority. When you go to a fraternity…you represent your sorority. When you go on Spring Break…you represent your sorority. When you turn 21 and hit the bar…you are representing your sorority. When you go home and sit at you family table…you represent your sorority. When you get a job and go to work for a company or organization…you represent your sorority. When you commit your life to that special someone…you represent your sorority.

Remember…YOU ARE ALWAYS WEARING YOUR LETTERS….from the day you accept that bid..forever and always..every single day and in every single situation. Those letters never come off, no matter whether you are wearing the jersey you receive on Bid Day or a business suit to an interview.

You have to assume that every person you meet will form an opinion about sororities; whether good or bad; based on how you interact with them. Every good thing you do will build your sorority up and every dumb thing you do will tear it down.

I know this sounds serious…it’s about responsibility. This responsibility asks you to become something more.

When you receive a bid from a sorority you are invited to be part of a group of women who make a promise to take care of each other every day. And so I am asking you to be the best version of you that you can be. I know that you can be a mature, dignified, person that you are every day and every night. So remember when you say “yes”…those letters go on…and I am not just talking about pulling on the jersey with them stitched on…I am talking about the fact that those letters will reside in your heart. You are joined with them forever and from day 1 forward they are now part of your identity.

Remember …….that being a sister means that you care for each other…..you matter to each other..you work with your sisters to make each other better women who stand for something.

Let the quest for those letters begin…..remember you are always wearing you letters.